Calendar

IRTFDonate – use this code and Equal Exchange donates 10% of your purchase to IRTF

We’re excited to announce that Equal Exchange will be donating a portion of their sales to IRTF when you shop their online store. 

To shop Equal Exchange click here. Find organic and fairly traded coffees, teas, chocolate, cocoa, nuts, dried fruits, and even olive oil—all from small farmer co-ops, available by the case for stocking up.

Promo code:  IRTFDonate . Enter this code when you check out and Equal Exchange will donate 10% of your purchase back to IRTF!

Equal Exchange was founded as a solidarity organization in 1986 to support small farmers in Nicaragua by importing their coffee despite the US embargo.  Forty years later, this worker-owned co-op continues to prove that a more democratic food system is possible.

To shop Equal Exchange click here

On Saturday, March 14, at 2:30 p.m., the Immigration Task Force is hosting a screening of the documentary film Si Pudiera Quedarme / If I Could Stay. It is an intimate portrait of two undocumented Latinx mothers who go to dramatic lengths to fend off deportation and separation from their families in the United States. The film follows five years in the lives of two women who chose to enter sanctuary at local churches, rather than report to ICE to be deported. Once they enter sanctuary, they physically do not leave the church grounds until they attain legal status, a process that can take years. This film gives viewers a window into the determination of these two mothers to keep their families together against one obstacle after another for an unknown amount of time. Months, years?
 

After the film we will be joined, via Zoom, by the film director and one of the two women for a Q and A. 

to register click here

ICE Watch/Defense and Community Preparedness to be held in Shaker Heights on March 15, 3-5pm. Location will be shared shortly before the training after you  RSVP

The response to this training was so huge last month that IRTF (together with Cleveland Heights for Immigrant Rights) is holding another one March 15 with an added chance to learn how Shaker and Cleveland are working to fight the expansion of Flock (a camera system that feeds data into databases that ICE have direct access to) so we can begin to organize to end Cleveland Heights’ Flock contract.

ICE Defense Training: When ICE shows up in our community, what can we do? How can we be prepared to defend our neighbors, alert the public to their presence, be legal observers, and deter ICE's illegal and inhumane actions? Many cities are building out structured networks ready to do ICE defense work. We are doing the same here in Cleveland Heights so we can be ready when ICE is here. We may spend more time on breakout groups and further developing hyper local groups and school-based groups if people who already attended the February training show up.

Dear DWN community,

The Trump Administration is rapidly expanding immigration detention by turning to large warehouses and industrial facilities for mass detention, with plans to add space to detain up to 92,600 people.

These plans signal a major shift toward large-scale detention that raises serious concerns about health and safety for immigrant communities, due process, transparency, and the rights of local communities.

Join DWN and partners for a webinar, Wednesday, March 18th. During this session, we will provide an overview of the federal government’s plans to convert warehouses into immigration detention centers, strategies used to push back against these projects, and how you can support this fight!

to register click here

Enjoy an evening of fun and community while learning more about the Northeast Ohio Worker Center. The evening will include a variety show featuring local talent, a silent auction, and drinks available for purchase. Tickets are $25 and available for purchase

Your donation

By attending the event you will be helping to raise funds for the Northeast Ohio Worker Center. The dollars raised for this event will help to pay for things like staff time to conduct wage theft intakes, connect workers to agencies and legal services so that they can get the money they are owed, and conduct community outreach. Learn more about our work by checking out our 2025 annual report.

If you or your organization is interested in making a larger donation, we are also looking for event sponsors. Please reach out to Grace at grace@neoworkercenter.org or visit the sponsorship web page.

to purchase tickets click here

The Hidden Legacy of African American Women Revealed: Past Brilliance, Present Power --- Black Women Leading through TIme.

Dr. Noël M. Voltz, Assistant Professor of History at Case Western Reserve University, will guide us through a sweeping historical panorama of African American women’s powerful and wide-ranging contributions throughout American history, revealing how their legacies continue to shape our world today in the ongoing fight for justice.

Robin Echols Cooper, a performing artist with Women In History, brings abolitionist and women’s rights pioneer Sojourner Truth to life with a powerful, immersive portrayal that echoes the fire of her 1851 Akron speech, in which she demanded the world recognize both her womanhood and her freedom.                                                

Join us for an afternoon of reflection as we shine a light on the women whose strength continues to shape our world. Discover how these legacies not only echo through history but also illuminate our path forward, inspiring us to lead, create, and transform our communities with the same power and vision.  

Sponsors include: Racial Equity Buddies of Greater Cleveland, Lakewood Black Caucus, TheSpot YEO (Youth Empowerment Organization), West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church-Undoing Oppressions Ministry.                                  

Reserve your spot today by emailing: racialequitybuddies@gmail.com and bring a friend, neighbor, or colleague to stand with us as we honor these remarkable women and their inspiring stories. 1-4pm, includes lunch!

How families resist to the erosion of due process and violations of human rights during four years of El Salvador's State of Exception and escalated attacks on migrants in the United States.

Speakers:

From El Salvador, Samuel Ramirez of the Movement of Regime Victims, MOVIR 

From Lumpkin Georgia, Amilcar Valencia, Executive Director of El Refugio, which accompanies immigrants at Stewart Detention Center and their loved ones

to register click here

Young Latino Network & Avanzamos Unidos is hosting the first Civic Community Dinner of 2026  focusing on "Introduction to Local Politics" in partnership with Cleveland Votes.

We invite our neighbors from all around Cleveland to join us for an evening of food and civic power. This event is designed to support our comunidad with the tools needed to navigate local government and make an impact in our community.

to register click here

About this event

We have the power and are claiming it together. No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.

What began in 2025 as a single day of defiance has become a sustained national resistance to tyranny, spreading from small towns to city centers and across every community determined to defend democracy. Our peaceful movement is bigger than ever.

When our families are under attack and costs are pushing people to the brink, silence is not an option. We will defend ourselves and our communities against this administration’s unjust and cruel acts of violence.

On March 28th, rise up, take to the streets, and say it loud: no thrones, no crowns, no kings. We’re not watching history happen—we’re making it. Join us.

A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.

JOIN US AT THE FREE STAMP ON MARCH 28TH FOR THE THIRD TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT FASCISTS KNOW THEIR PLACE.

On March 28 we'll take to the streets, ready to bring millions of new allies along with us to declare, in one voice: NO thugs terrorizing our neighborhoods. NO troop deployments in our streets. NO imperial wars of conquest. NO KINGS.

Our movement is only getting bigger and stronger. “NO KINGS” is more than just a slogan—it’s the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, carried by millions in chants and on posters, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship together.

The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings, and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty. Grow our movement and join us.

https://www.mobilize.us/opalmissionvote/event/893355/

Join us in Geauga County for focused training on immigrant rights, realities, and community defense. This event is co-hosted by: the InterReligious Task Force On Central America, Chagrin Falls Federated Church, Community Life Collaborative, Bainbridge UCC, Community Church of Chesterland, Red Wine and Blue members, and concerned residents of Geauga County. Together, we’ll look closely at how U.S. policies affect communities facing violence, displacement, and environmental harm.

This session offers practical tools for local action: from contacting decision‑makers to supporting grassroots movements. Your registration helps us build a consistent, informed presence for justice—here in Ohio and across the region. ✍️🌎

to register click here

IRTF initiated our annual Social Justice Teach-In (aka Liberation Lab) in 1999. This spring we feel a great need to call together justice-minded folks who are committed to human rights, liberation, and respect and dignity for all people. 

Every year for the past 26 years, this event has been an informative and inter-generational day of community building and education for high school and college students and other community members seeking ways to take positive action for social justice. 

This year we will have panels on:

• International imperialism and war resistance
• Art,  Joy & Resistance

And a keynote

Dr Rima Vesley-Flad, The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde

We’re honored to host a panel with Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad, the Visiting Professor of Buddhism and Black Studies at Union Theological Seminary, author of The Fire Inside, a groundbreaking work that reimagines the writings of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde through the lens of Buddhist practice. This conversation invites us to explore how mindfulness, embodiment, and inner work can sustain movements for justice and liberation.

To buy tickets or become a sponsor click here

The ticket price also includes a delicious lunch! 

SCHEDULE

11:30am - doors open

noon: printmaking with artist Ape Bleakney

12:30pm: lunch

1-2pm: keynote Dr Rima Vesley-Flad, The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde

2-3pm: panels

3:15-4:15pm: workshops and skills shares

4:30-5pm: liberation music

other opportunities to meet Dr. Rima Vesley-Flad:

Thursday, April 9 - Loganberry Books (details to be announced) 13015 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44120

Friday, April 10 - Third Space Action Lab. 1464 E. 105th St. #302 Cleveland, Ohio 44108

Cleveland Tree March: Plant trees, not war.

The Cleveland Tree March (a half-mile walk) will step off from the Langston Hughes Branch of the Cleveland Public Library (10200 Superior Ave) at 10am on Saturday, April 11. The public is welcome to join us.

The march, sponsored by the Cleveland Nonviolence Network, is inspired by women in Kenya who planted trees in eastern rural Africa to counter deforestation—a major threat to subsistence farming. Wangari Maathai, one of the leaders and the first  African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, broadened her work to foster peace and democracy in Africa, igniting a grassroots movement focused on environmental conservation and women's rights. The Green Belt Movement spread across the continent, resulting in the planting of over 30 million trees.

Goal: At least 200 marchers will carry tree saplings to Brookdale Orchard*, with at least 100 committed to planting, nurturing, and reporting on the well-being of their adopted saplings. Marchers might plant the trees at their homes, at their place of worship, at their community garden, or other public space with permission.

*southwest of the starting point at the library, the urban orchard is bounded by E 86th, E 88th, Brookdale Court and Wade Park Ave. Rain location for the ending point is St Matthew United Methodist Church, 8601 Wade Park Ave., Cleveland 44106

Why a tree march? Our country and planet are facing dire challenges.  As we mark the anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (April 4, 1968), we are reminded of the “triplets of evil” that he so aptly identified: racism, poverty, and war. Today, the successors of MLK’s campaigns to overcome these entrenched systems of injustice have rightfully added ecological destruction to the list.   As we approach Tax Day (April 15),  we admit our complicity in supporting the $1.5 trillion US war budget that fuels the US military—the largest institutional emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet. MLK warned that our nation—spending many times more on the military than on programs of social uplift—is approaching spiritual death.

Planting a tree is an act of hope. With each step forward on April 11, we’ll say YES to life and NO to death. YES to trees and NO to war.  With our trees we are investing in a future liberated from the evils of racism, extreme materialism, militarism, and environmental degradation. We are taking a concrete step toward climate restoration. We are planting our vision for the future.

Register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1yBJY4F6H-h2bEAoFJs2qhfycinJ3OZWlraihRFQ1W9s/viewform?edit_requested=true&fbzx=-5869456267905502917

Organizer: Cleveland Nonviolence Network. Co-sponsors to date include: Brookdale Orchard, Carl Stokes Brigade, Cleveland Peace Action, Creation Care Team of St Patrick Parish with St Malachi Oratory, East Side Creation Care Alliance, InterReligious Task Force on Central America, Northeast Ohio Community Resilience Centre, Northeast Ohio Sierra Club, St. Matthew United Methodist  Church, West Side Creation Care Team

Founded in 1977, the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is a leading cultural institution dedicated to showcasing the power of film to educate, entertain, and celebrate inclusive human
experiences. For 50 years, CIFF has curated socially conscious and artistically significant films fromaround the globe, fostering dialogue, connection, and cultural understanding.

This year the InterReligious Force is honored to be prsented as a community partner for the CIFF50 screening of the film Yanuni: 

YANUNI is a cinematic portrait of Juma Xipaia, an Indigenous chief from the Brazilian Amazon who rises from a remote village to the frontlines of climate justice. After surviving six assassination attempts, she is appointed Brazil’s first Secretary of Indigenous Rights—while her husband, a federal IBAMA agent, leads dangerous operations against illegal gold miners. As Juma navigates political power, growing threats, and impending motherhood, she is forced to confront the personal cost of resistance. At once intimate and epic, YANUNI is a powerful story of Indigenous sovereignty, love, and the urgent fight to protect the planet we call home.

to purchase tickets for the creening click here (ticket sale will start on march 18th)

Promo Code: IRTF  

$1 off any ticket, with the exception of Opening Night, 7x7 Retrospective and Day Pass purchases.

Founded in 1977, the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is a leading cultural institution dedicated to showcasing the power of film to educate, entertain, and celebrate inclusive human
experiences. For 50 years, CIFF has curated socially conscious and artistically significant films fromaround the globe, fostering dialogue, connection, and cultural understanding.

This year the InterReligious Force is honored to be prsented as a community partner for the CIFF50 screening of the film Yanuni: 

YANUNI is a cinematic portrait of Juma Xipaia, an Indigenous chief from the Brazilian Amazon who rises from a remote village to the frontlines of climate justice. After surviving six assassination attempts, she is appointed Brazil’s first Secretary of Indigenous Rights—while her husband, a federal IBAMA agent, leads dangerous operations against illegal gold miners. As Juma navigates political power, growing threats, and impending motherhood, she is forced to confront the personal cost of resistance. At once intimate and epic, YANUNI is a powerful story of Indigenous sovereignty, love, and the urgent fight to protect the planet we call home.

to purchase tickets for the creening click here (ticket sale will start on march 18th)

Promo Code: IRTF  

$1 off any ticket, with the exception of Opening Night, 7x7 Retrospective and Day Pass purchases.

source: MayDayCoalition

May Day March 2026

March for workers’ rights!

Stand up against ICE!

Friday, May 1, 4-6pm

Gather at Public Square (southwest quadrant in front of Terminal Tower)

Organizer: May Day Coalition-Cleveland. https://maydaycoalitionproject.substack.com/about

essed Trinity Catholic Church invites Greater Clevelanders to join them on a day trip to Oberlin, OH, to explore the abolitionist history of the town.

Oberlin played an important role in the abolitionist movement, serving as one of the most important abolitionist communities in the United States and a key site of the Underground Railroad. Oberlin was home to courageous Christians who risked their lives and freedom to oppose slavery. Together we will explore this powerful history through a guided tour, walking pilgrimage, prayer, and fellowship.

Trip includes:

• Guided tour of the Oberlin Heritage Center  

• Abolitionist history walking tour  

• Prayer and reflection in Tappan Square  

• Lunch and group dinner in Oberlin

Date: Saturday, May 2 2026

8am departure from Blessed Trinity (Cleveland’s Bellaire-Puritas neighborhood)

8:30pm: return to Cleveland

Estimated cost: $50–75 per person.  Sponsors are welcome to make donations to defray the cost for those who find it unaffordable.  

All are welcome and do not have to belong to the parish to join us. To register or learn more, please contact me, Briyant Hines <bhines@blessedtrinitycleveland.org>, pastoral assistant at Blessed Trinity Church, a Catholic community committed to faith, justice, and nonviolent discipleship.

source: Third Act Ohio

The Great Ohio Climate March (GOCM) will start on Saturday, May 16, at the farmers market in Athens, Ohio.  From Athens we’ll work our way northeast, largely following the Buckeye Trail, over 7 days to Salt Fork State Park where we’ll have a day of educational events, fun, and rest for marchers.  From Salt Fork we’ll march west, over 5 days, to the Statehouse in Columbus, for an ending rally, celebration, and legislative day on May 28.  Most of this portion of the route is on small rural roads, bike trails, and sidewalks.

Marchers will be able to sign up to hike the full route (approx 120 miles of walking), or any portion they choose (a week, a couple days, or even a couple hours).  Most hiking days will be about 10 miles, with a couple days of fewer miles at the start and finish, and a few days that are closer to 12-13 miles.  Don’t worry if that sounds like a lot, this is a supported march with shuttles to carry your gear and you – if you need a shorter hiking day. 

And about the Climate – The Other Big Picture: 

Along the march route there will be many opportunities to see and learn about how the oil and gas industry has been welcomed with open arms by Ohio’s politicians into Ohio’s beautiful landscapes.  We will see the frack pads, compressor stations, and injection wells associated with the fracking industry which is wreaking havoc on and poisoning our air and waters.  We’ll also see other fossil fuel infrastructure such as gas pipeline buildouts that scar the lands and disrupt everything from community peace and quiet, to native plant and animal species.  We’ll also witness the newer phenomenon of energy guzzling data centers rapidly popping up throughout Ohio, competing with residents for electricity while supercharging climate chaos causing greenhouse gas emission.

But don’t despair, there is also good news and lots of potential in Ohio for clean, renewable energy.  We’ll have the opportunity to see and understand more about Ohio’s buildout of renewable energy as we visit some large solar arrays.

More March Details:

There is a registration fee that is prorated based on the number of days hiking. The registration fee includes: meals, water, either camping or budget hotel accommodations, sag wagon, and transport of hiker’s gear.

https://greatohioclimatemarch.org/

When: May 16-28 of 2026 – participate in all or part of it!
Where: Southeast and mid-Ohio, Athens to Salt Fork to Columbus
How: A detailed route map is coming soon.
Who: The Great Ohio Climate March is being organized by Third Act Ohio, with the help of many other organizational and individual friends
Why: To draw broad attention and public awareness to:

• Fracking on Ohio public lands & parks
• Ohio politicians making greedy deals with the oil & gas industry that have turned our beautiful state into a sacrifice zone
• Environmental justice for Ohio communities
• Impacts of the climate crisis globally, as well as in the US, Appalachia, and Ohio
• The benefits to all Ohioans of clean, renewable energy